How Procrastinators Can Get Home for Less This Holiday

For one reason or another you have decided to forego traditions and stay close to work this holiday. Now days before Christmas, your resolve has changed; is it too late to get a last-minute deal to take you home in the nick of time?

“Airlines are still offering winter sales, but most holiday dates are blacked out. Unless you’re headed abroad for the holidays, there is no such thing as a “deal” at this stage. As FareCompare Chief Executive Rick Seaney notes, “You waited too long.”

There are still options out there, but none are remotely good. At best, you’re doing what you can to hop a flight and see your family. With the help of the folks at FareCompare and SmarterTravel , we have put together a few tips that will prevent you from bankrupting yourself. These aren’t “savings” so much as they’re ways to avoid the worst-case holiday scenario.”

Notte has these 5 tips for people desperate to get cheaper travel flight costs:

Fly on the holiday: Most holidaymakers would want to get to their homes or destinations early in time for the preparations and other activities for the special occasion. That means, there will be few passengers during the Thanksgiving or Christmas Day itself. You might miss some traditions and the parade, but you can bet you’ll still make it before the stuffed turkey is carved. Consider getting the most unpopular dates by leaving Saturday to knock off additional a hundred or so dollars from your fare.

Change destinations: Rather than picking busy, but close-to-home airports, why not consider another airport that would likely be less busy? For instance, if you are going to D.C., Philly would make a cheaper option than Reagan International, Baltimore or Dulles, and if you are going to New York, you can avoid JFK, LaGuardia or Newark by picking Philly, Newburgh, N.Y. or Hartford. It may mean driving an hour or two to reach home, but that is still a cheaper option.

Connecting flights are your friend: Who wants to take a flight during forsaken hours or with connecting flights? Now is not the time to be choosy unless you are willing to pay more than necessary. This season, it is practical to pick these less comfortable and less-convenient flights if you want to save on fares. It is smart to pick warm-weather connections than lose a travel day if you get snowed in, which is common in Midwest.

Consider all options: Consider every alternative you have at this point. Are you a frequent flier who has accumulated miles you can use? If you are, this is a good time to redeem those miles. Do you have excess luggage you are likely to pay for in those connecting flights? You can save more by shipping them directly to your destination. What about giving gift certificates, cash gifts and online gifts so you will get fewer bags to lug around the airport?

Make it a package deal: Are you holidaying in a destination where you will be booking a hotel and chartering or renting a car to take you around to see sights? If you are, it will not hurt to buy those package deals that come with plane tickets because these offer better deals or bigger discounts.

Deciding late in the day is not the best way to plan a holiday at a peak season like Thanksgiving or Christmas. These five tips may not be able to provide you the most convenient and most comfortable flight to your destination, but it can help you get home for less this holiday.

Please follow and like us:

0

Comments

About Us

Barbara Walsh-Kumm and John Kumm have established this website in order to provide the avid visitor with current hints and tips, news and opinions relating in general to travel, and more particularly to overseas trips, vacations and holiday adventures.